Pointblank Times, December 1975 - Page 1. December 1975. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. University of Houston Digital Library. Web. August 2, 2015. http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/feminist/item/2053/show/2041.

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Transcript

pointblank times
a lesbian/feminist publication houston, texas 35*t
vol. I no. 9 december 1975
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape
Susan Brownmiller (Simon & Schuster;
$10.95)
In the beginning of her book,
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape,
Susan Brownmiller states "Man's discovery
that his genitalia could serve as a
weapon to generate fear must rank as one
of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times, along with the use of
fire and the first crude stone axe."
She goes on to document rape--its role
in different cultures and civilizations
(e.g. as a means of procuring a wife);
a review of the psychological and sociological studies and theories accounting
for rape; a profile of rape in our society.
Brownmiller does pretend to
approach the subject with the objectivity
of a Martian observer, as is the usual
practice in sociological studies. This )v
is not another book about "women," it is
a book about us, as Brownmiller emphasized throughout the book, by interjecting her own personal experiences and
realizations. Her style is a refreshing change. It makes the book human and
honest. V^^^
Many women will buy this book out
of curiosity only to set it aside after
a few pages, because it is immediately
and throughout a frightening book,
frightening in a very horrifying, personal
way. This is because Brownmiller's main
point is that rape is not a freakish,
isolated crime of an oversexed pervert or
a mentally distorted psycho against a
foolish, unwary woman. Instead she
convincingly argues that rape is "a
conscious process of intimidation by
which all men keep all women in a state
of fear."
Before you decide unpleasantness is
reason enough to avoid the book, consider
that until we have the courage to understand, in all its overwhelming brutality,
the phenomenon described by Brownmiller,
we will have to take the first step
50* OUT OF STATE
towards our own liberation. The problem
must be confronted before it can be
solved. Read this book, and through the
rougher passages, hold a friend's hand
and consider how much harder it would be
to read it while living with a man. It
is a book that will bring women together,
first for comfort, and then to express and
hopefully act on our anger and outrage and
take some action on our own behalf.
Brownmiller feels that the most often
proposed course of action for women, i.e.
more locks on the door, male escort after
dark, initials in the phone book, etc., is
an attempt to provide a private solution
where there is none. While conceding that
all people should be alert and on guard
in potentially hazardous situations, she
says that for women "to accept a special
burden of self-protection is to reinforce
the concept that women must live and move
about in fear and can never expect to
achieve the personal freedom, independence
and self-assurance of men."
One of the many changes in society
she sees as necessary to eradicate rape is
teaching women to fight back. Men have a
psychological advantage in a physical confrontation with a woman because from childhood, men have been encouraged to fight.
Little girls, however, learn to cry, plead,
and look for a male protector. This imbalance has left women with a victim complex
that must be overcome if women are to learn
to defend themselves.
Beyond strongly recommending self-
defense courses for women, which is still on
the level of a personal solution, Brownmiller
points to deep-rooted and broad areas of our
culture which need to be made over. Our
fairy tales, television shows, movie idols,
pornography, and newspaper stories all reinforce the violent, macho male stereotype
which is epitomized in the rapist, and the
submissive role of women. Rape is an outrage with a long history, and we need to
think in terms of long-range solutions. For
many people, this book will be a beginning.
1
Ellen and Barbara